Contents

The existence of chuño dates back to before de time of de Inca Empire in de 13f century, based on findings dat have been made of de product at various archeowogicaw sites. Specificawwy, dey have been found at Tiwanaku, site of a cuwture which devewoped in de Cowwao Pwateau, a geographic zone which incwudes territories of Bowivia and Peru.

After harvest, potatoes are sewected for de production of chuño, typicawwy smaww ones for ease of processing. These smaww potatoes are spread cwosewy on fwat ground, and awwowed to freeze wif wow night temperatures, for about dree nights.

Between de freezing nights, dey are exposed to de sun, and dey are trampwed by foot. This ewiminates what wittwe water is stiww retained by de potatoes, and removes de skins, enabwing subseqwent freezing.

After dis, dey are exposed to de cowd for two additionaw nights.

Starting from dis basic freeze-dry process, two varieties are obtained:

White chuño is obtained by "washing" de frozen potatoes. The "washing" may take various forms. In Bowivia [1], de potatoes are spread on bwankets or straw and constantwy sprayed wif water to moisten, uh-hah-hah-hah. In Peru, de frozen potatoes are transported to a river, and deposited in poows.

The finaw step is drying in de sun, uh-hah-hah-hah. The resuwt is now cawwed chuño, awso known as papas secas. In Bowivia, white chuño is awso cawwed tunta.

Once dried, and wif minimaw care in storage, de product can wast for a very wong time, sometimes years.[3]

Consumption is varied, from desserts to prepared dishes, as weww as chuño fwour, which is an essentiaw ingredient in many dishes of Peruvian cuisine. Chairo is one of de most traditionaw Bowivian soups and it is made wif chuño, meat, and vegetabwes, it is awso traditionaw in soudern regions of Peru such as Areqwipa and Puno.